Mary Ann Glasgow

The 5 September master review confirms that Mary's original marriage was in the Ballymoney registration district, not Ballymena. It directly proves Alexander Glasgow, farmer, as her father. Her presence as informant at her mother Mary Glasgow's 1892 Gortahar death supplies the strongest bridge to the later Elder household.

The original 1871 civil marriage directly identifies Mary Glasgow, aged 28, of Lisnagaver as a daughter of Alexander Glasgow, farmer, and wife of Robert Elder of Gortereghy, son of Nathaniel Elder. Her residence and Robert's later succession to Alexander's valuation lot 25 make identification with Alexander-951's family strong.

Robert's original death entry now closes the previous index-only gap. A married farmer aged 64 died at Gortahar on 18 November 1894; Mary Elder of Gortahar, described as a widow, informed the death. The register does not explicitly call her his wife, but the exact place, compatible age and occupation, same-day widow description, and her continuing Gortahar household make a competing identity very unlikely.

Her stated age creates a substantial conflict with Maryan Glasgow, 17, recorded in John Glasgow-1022's household in 1851: Maryan would have been about 37 in 1871, rather than 28. Age alone does not conclusively exclude an identity when reported ages conflict elsewhere in this family. The identification remains possible but unproved; neither the marriage nor lot succession proves a relationship between Alexander and John.

The original 1901 and 1911 Gortahar census forms make this the strongest located continuation of the couple, though they do not independently name Mary's father. Jane's original birth now supplies an independent civil-registration bridge: Jane Matilda Elder was born at Gortahar on 16 September 1878 to Robert Elder and Mary Elder, whose maiden surname was entered as Glass. The exact parents, place and middle initial identify her as the later Jane M. Elder at high confidence. Her birth fits the age 22 reported in 1901, but makes the age 26 reported in 1911 about six years too low.

The 1911 manuscript itself calls Robert J. Elder's two-year-old nephew Samuel Glasgow. Samuel's original 1908 birth registration instead names him Samuel Elder, son of Jane Elder, with no father recorded. These are conflicting original records: the alternate surname is real reported usage, but it does not identify Samuel's father or prove a Glasgow relationship.

The Mary Jane Elder who died at Lisnagaver in 1897 should not be merged with Mary-3167 as established fact. If the Gortahar woman is the 1871 bride, Mary was alive in 1911. The competing identity must be resolved through children's civil births and death or probate evidence for the Gortahar couple.

The free civil index was also searched for the household after the 1911 census. No Mary Elder of an age compatible with Mary-3167 died in Ballymoney district through the end of the Northern Ireland series exposed there in 1921; the only Ballymoney Mary was aged 19. The two older exact-name results elsewhere were a married woman aged 80 in Londonderry in 1916 and a married woman aged 83 in Londonderry in 1919. Both conflict with Mary's documented widowhood and neither gives Gortahar continuity. No Ballymoney death or marriage was found for Jane or Robert J. Elder in 1911–1921, and no Ballymoney marriage was found for the daughter Mary in 1901–1921. These are bounded negatives rather than evidence of emigration.

The post-1921 Northern Ireland search belongs in GRONI. Its official service was under scheduled maintenance when checked on 12 September 2026, until 08:00 on 14 September, so the free name-count search could not yet be run. Detailed results beyond the free count may require an account and credits.

Mary Ellen’s 1867 birth now has an existing child-profile destination: Glasgow-4269 cites the same Ballymoney register entry 214. The original says 14 February and Mary Ellen; the index/profile says 17 February and Mary. A correction is drafted, not saved. Mary-3167 remains a compatible mother identification and Ann-438 a compatible informant identification; neither is newly proved by the profile match.

Current public profile biographies were checked alongside the maintained historical record accounts. The complete record-specific review is published in the profile matching audit.

A search of the PRONI Will Calendars for the townland Gortahar on 17 September 2026 found letters of administration granted in 1895 for Robert Elder of Gortahar. The work log summarises the abstract's death date as 18 October 1894 and does not record the administrator or the effects. Mary's husband Robert Elder died at Gortahar on 18 November 1894 according to the civil register, so the grant is probably his estate, and one of the two day-month readings is wrong. Another Robert Elder was farming at Gortereghy in 1901, so the abstract should be re-read, with its administrator noted, before it is used. If Mary was the administrator, the grant would be further evidence for her as his widow.

Recorded in research/Glasgow-951/research-log-2026-09-17-live.md (17 September 2026); carried into this file on 7 October 2026.

The original civil birth return records Mary Ellen, a female child born at Lisnagaver on 14 February 1867. The mother is Mary Glasgow; no father is entered. Ann Glasgow of Lisnagaver was present at the birth and informed the registration.

The mother is a plausible identity candidate for Mary Glasgow, who was a 28-year-old spinster of Lisnagaver when she married in 1871. The informant may be Ann Glasgow, the documented Lisnagaver daughter of Alexander Glasgow, but the birth return does not state that the two women were sisters or otherwise related. This is evidence for a new Glasgow-associated event, not proof of Mary's identity, the child's later surname, or either woman's parentage.

Source: IrishGenealogy civil birth record, original 1867 birth return, entry 214, Ballymoney union, County Antrim, accessed 17 September 2026.

New earlier Gortrechy Elder marriage lead, 7 April 1842

A reproduced Second Portglenone Presbyterian marriage list records John Elder of Gortrechy marrying Peggy Stuart of Killycuggin on 7 April 1842. The witnesses were James Ray and James Stuart. This exact marriage and witness/locality combination is absent from the catalogue. It establishes an earlier Elder household in the same local area and supplies names for future church and civil-record tracing, but it does not identify John as an ancestor of Robert Elder; Robert's 1871 marriage names his father as Nathaniel Elder. The source is a secondary transcription and the original register remains to be inspected.

Source: RootsChat, Elder, Murdoch & McMeekin Families, post reproducing Second Portglenone Presbyterian marriages, accessed 17 September 2026.

New separate Robert Elder marriage lead, 13 July 1887

The reproduced Third Portglenone Presbyterian marriage list records Robert Elder, full-age bachelor labourer of Ballymoney, marrying Jane Adams McCaughey, full-age spinster of Garvaghey, on 13 July 1887. Robert's father is recorded as James Elder, labourer; Jane's father as William McCaughey, labourer. The witnesses were Archie McCaughey and Lizzie Connaghy. This exact marriage and parentage combination is absent from the catalogue. It is useful chiefly as a confirmed namesake-separation record: this Robert should not be merged with Robert Elder, Mary's 1871 husband, whose father was recorded as Nathaniel Elder and whose occupation was farmer. The source is a secondary transcription and the original register remains to be inspected.

Source: RootsChat, Elder, Murdoch & McMeekin Families, post reproducing Third Portglenone Presbyterian marriages, accessed 17 September 2026.

New 1912 Elder directory occupation and locality details

The 1912 Belfast and Ulster Directory lists John Elder, junior, as a grocer and postmaster among the inhabitants of Rasharkin. In the neighbourhood section it separately lists James Elder and James Elder, junior at Ballydonnelly. The exact 1912 occupations, junior designation and locality entries are absent from the catalogue. They add useful identity clues for separating the later Elder households, but the directory does not identify either man as Robert Elder's son or brother. The source is a directory, not a parentage record.

Source: 1912 Belfast and Ulster Directory, Rasharkin, accessed 17 September 2026.

New 1857 Gortereghy Elder marriage lead

The reproduced marriage list records Alex Hillis, full-age bachelor merchant of Ballymena, marrying Annie Elder, full-age spinster of Gortereghy, on 7 July 1857. Annie's father is recorded as James Elder, farmer; witnesses were James McChesney and Robert Bell. This exact marriage, residence and parent statement are absent from the catalogue. It adds another distinct Elder household in the Gortereghy area and names two witnesses for future tracing, but it does not connect Annie or James Elder to Robert Elder, whose 1871 marriage names Nathaniel Elder as father. The source is a secondary transcription and the original register remains to be inspected.

Source: RootsChat, Elder, Murdoch & McMeekin Families, post reproducing Second Portglenone Presbyterian marriages, accessed 17 September 2026.

Mary probably registered her father's death. Death entry 348 (16 May 1888, Gortahar) names the informant as "Mary Glasgow, her mark, daughter, present at death, Gortahar". The forename was read as Nancy from 13 September to 6 October 2026; comparison with the registrar's other entries shows Mary. Mary Elder lived at Gortahar, where Jane Matilda was born in 1878, and she signed by mark as "Mary Elder, daughter" at her mother's death in 1892. She was Mrs Elder in 1888, so the surname Glasgow needs explaining. Three readings remain open: a maiden-name entry; her mother, the wife Mary Glasgow, with the relationship mis-entered; or the Mary Ellen Glasgow born in 1867. The local register original (GRONI) has not been viewed.

Mary may be the unnamed child baptised in 1838. She is absent from her parents' 1851 return, and a search of the surviving 1851 returns on 6 October 2026 found no child Mary Glasgow of suitable age elsewhere in Rasharkin parish. Her ages (28 in 1871, 60 in 1901, 72 in 1911) place her birth between about 1838 and 1843. Her brothers' births about 1840–41 and in October 1843 leave the 1838 baptism (Glasgow-3940) as the open place. This is not proved; do not merge the profiles until the original register entry has been read. The Maryan aged 17 at Glenleslie in 1851 remains a separate, unproved identity.

A question to test, not a finding. The daughter Mary, 28, in the 1901 Gortahar household has no located birth registration as an Elder. Whether she is the Mary Ellen born at Lisnagaver on 14 February 1867 (Glasgow-4269), with her age understated, has not been tested.

The original 1901 census return for Gortereghy (Form A, house 42, inspected 30 September 2026) records Robert Elder, 65, widowed farmer, with sons Alex, 27, and Robert, 20, and daughters Eliza, 22, and Margaretta, 14, all Antrim-born Presbyterians. On the same census night Mary Elder, 60, was a widow heading her own household at Gortahar (1901 Form A, house 7), with Mary, 28, Robert, 26, and Jane, 22. The Gortereghy Robert was alive in 1901, so he is not the husband of the Gortahar widow, whose husband Robert died at Gortahar in 1894 (see above). The 1911 Gortereghy return (Alexander Elder household) names Robert, 34, as Alexander's brother and Margaret, 25, as his sister, continuing that family, while Robert J. Elder (Elder-7303) heads the separate Gortahar household with his mother Mary in 1911.

Elder-7144 is a compatible but unproved profile for the 1901 Gortereghy father; its tree-derived 1827 birth does not match the reported age 65. The 1881 birth of Jane Elder to Robert Elder and Jane Calderwood (Ballymoney, entry 279, original inspected) proves that couple, but not that Jane Calderwood was the mother of all the 1901 and 1911 siblings. The source excludes Elder-7251 only as the living 1901 Gortereghy father, not from later father clauses such as Sarah Elder's 1893 marriage. This separates the two Robert Elder households; it adds nothing to Mary's parentage, and the identification of the Gortahar widow with Mary-3167 remains as graded above.

Recorded in research/queue-resolution-2026-09-30/irish-collateral.json (30 September 2026); carried into this file on 7 October 2026.

Primary-index evidence substantially strengthens Mary's identification after her 1871 marriage. The 1901 census index records widowed farmer Mary Elder, aged 60, at Gortahar with children Mary, Robert and Jane.[https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QPB2-KNM2 FamilySearch, 1901 Ireland census index], Mary Elder household, Gortahar. In 1911, Robert J. Elder headed the continuing Gortahar household with his widowed mother Mary, sister Jane and a nephew displayed as “Samuel Glasgow”.[https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QYHR-52T2 FamilySearch, 1911 Ireland census index], Robert J. Elder household; [https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QYHG-YHMM Mary Elder individual entry].

The original civil register instead records Samuel Elder, born 4 July 1908 at Gortahar to unmarried Jane Elder; the father's column is blank, and Mary Elder, Gortahar, was the informant.[https://www.irishgenealogy.ie/files/civil/birth_returns/births_1908/01647/1657700.pdf General Register Office of Ireland, civil birth register], Samuel Elder, 4 July 1908, Gortahar, Ballymoney district. This precisely fits the household nephew by age, residence and mother, but it records no Glasgow middle name or surname. Inspection of the original 1911 Form A now establishes that Samuel Glasgow is what the census household reported, not a derivative transcription mistake.[https://nationalarchives.ie/collections/search-the-census/census-record/#id=490671&c20_year=1911 National Archives of Ireland, 1911 census, Gortahar house 9], original Form A, image nai001389304. The two original records therefore preserve an unexplained alternate surname; neither names Samuel's father or proves that a Glasgow man was his father.

Together with Mary's 1871 marriage naming Alexander Glasgow, farmer, as her father and Mary Elder's presence at her mother Mary Glasgow's 1892 Gortahar death, the 1901-1911 household continuity makes the identification of the Gortahar widow with Alexander's daughter high confidence. Samuel's birth strengthens the internal Gortahar household continuity; the census adds direct evidence that the household reported his surname as Glasgow, but does not explain why or identify his father. The records do not identify Mary with the seventeen-year-old Maryan Glasgow in John Glasgow's Glenleslie household in 1851.

The original death return resolves the earlier index-only candidate. Robert Elder, married farmer, aged 64, died at Gortahar on 18 November 1894 of senile decay; Mary Elder, widow, of Gortahar was present and registered the death that day.[https://www.irishgenealogy.ie/files/civil/deaths_returns/deaths_1894/05952/4691448.pdf General Register Office of Ireland, civil death register], Robert Elder, Gortahar, 18 November 1894, entry 12. Although the return does not explicitly call Mary his wife, the exact household place, compatible age and occupation, her same-day widow description and the continuing widow household identify him as the 1871 husband at high confidence.

The original 1911 census identifies Jane M. Elder as Robert J. Elder's unmarried sister, aged 26, and unequivocally records her nephew as Samuel Glasgow.[https://nationalarchives.ie/collections/search-the-census/census-record/#id=490671&c20_year=1911 National Archives of Ireland, 1911 census, Gortahar house 9], original Form A, image nai001389304. The original 1908 birth registration proves that Jane was Samuel's mother and records Mary Elder as informant, but names the child Samuel Elder and leaves his father blank. This is an original-to-original name conflict and unexplained alternate surname, not a transcription conflict or evidence identifying a Glasgow father.

The original 1901 Form A records Mary Elder, widowed farmer, with unmarried children Mary, Robert and Jane.[https://nationalarchives.ie/collections/search-the-census/census-record/#id=4575739&c20_year=1901 National Archives of Ireland, 1901 census, Gortahar house 7], original Form A, image nai000297950. Mary and Robert track strongly into 1911, but Jane's stated age changes from 22 to 26 across the decade; the identity is strong but the age discrepancy remains explicit.

The original civil birth register resolves Jane's identity and chronology. Jane Matilda Elder was born at Gortahar on 16 September 1878 to farmer Robert Elder and Mary Elder, with Mary's maiden surname entered as Glass; Robert, her father, reported the birth.[https://www.irishgenealogy.ie/files/civil/birth_returns/births_1878/02945/2078820.pdf General Register Office of Ireland, civil birth register], Jane Matilda Elder, 16 September 1878, Gortahar, entry 263. The exact parents, place and middle initial identify her with the later Jane M. Elder at high confidence. The date is consistent with age 22 in 1901 but makes the stated age 26 in 1911 too low by about six years. “Glass” is retained as the register's spelling and assessed as a variant or shortening compatible with Mary's documented Glasgow maiden name; it is not silently normalised in the transcription.

The age-compatible Ballymoney birth sweep did not find registrations for the other two census children. The inspected Mary Elder entries for 1873, 1874 and 1876, and Robert Elder entries for 1873–1876, name other parent couples. This is a bounded negative, not proof that the Gortahar births were unregistered: census ages can be inaccurate and indexing or registration gaps remain possible.

FamilySearch also incorrectly normalises Samuel's Ballymoney registration place to County Wicklow. The original register places his birth at Gortahar in the Ballymoney, County Antrim district and controls both the place and recorded name.

New 1911 Gortereghy Elder household comparison, 17 September 2026

The 1911 Gortereghy census browse lists three separate Elder households: Alexander Elder, aged 40, with wife Mary, brother Robert, 34, and sister Margaret, 25; Joseph Elder, aged 79, with niece Ellen, 38; and William Elder, aged 40, with sister Elizabeth, 50. The exact household comparison is absent from the catalogue. It is relevant to Robert Elder's case because it shows that several Elder households occupied the same townland, so the Robert Elder who married Mary Glasgow must not be identified with another local Robert solely from surname, place or occupation. The source is a derivative census presentation; original 1911 forms remain needed for final verification.

Source: Down the Road, Gortereghy 1911 census browse, accessed 17 September 2026.

• Extend the civil-birth search for Mary and Robert J. Elder beyond the obvious age-compatible Ballymoney candidates. Jane's birth is now proved; the inspected Mary candidates for 1873, 1874 and 1876 and Robert candidates for 1873–1876 all belong to other parents. Their census ages may be inaccurate or their births may have gone unregistered.
• Any guardianship or school record identifying Samuel Elder's father.
• Death or probate evidence for Mary that distinguishes her conclusively from Mary Jane Elder who died in 1897.
• Run the free post-1921 GRONI name search for Mary, Jane, Robert J. and Samuel Elder/Glasgow after the announced maintenance window; buy no credits without separate approval.